This zine is dedicated to symphonic black metal,avant garde metal,folk metal,melodic black metal, and black/doom metal, for more information contact deathdoomgrinddeath@yahoo.com, I have also created a more death and doom metal orientatated zine bringerofdeathzine.blogspot.com/ some articles have been moved there and so will more in the future so check that zine out as well

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Batsheva are a 1 man band from Pennsylvania that plays a very melodic and symphonic form of blackened doom metal and this is a review of his self titled and self released 2014 album.

A very dark and ritualistic sound starts off the album and after the intro the music keeps the ritualistic sounds and adds in a symphonic and melodic black metal sound that also brings in a great amount of blast beats along with some grim screams while the slower sections bring in a great amount of doom metal elements.

A good portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length along with a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts as well as adding a great amount of melody in the riffs and the symphonic black metal side of the music is a lot more closer to the 90's style and brings in a bit of the rawness that genre once had before later bands made it more mainstream sounding and you can also hear traces of funeral doom in the slower sections and one of the tracks also bring in a small amount of spoken word parts.

Batsheva goes back to the 90's styles of melodic and symphonic black metal and mixes them in with a very heavy and dark style of doom metal to create a sound of his own, the production sounds very dark yet very heavy at the same time while the lyrics cover Occultism themes.

In my opinion Batsheva are a very great sounding mixture of symphonic, melodic black metal and doom metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this project. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Moon Eyes" and "The Conquest Of The Witch Queen". 8 out of 10.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

[DAMON] We are a Symphonic Blackened Death metal from the South West of the UK.

2.In March you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

[ANDY] It's four of the first songs that we wrote together, all with a slightly different feel, picked to show a range of what we can do and what we are about. Your recent review of our EP did a great job of describing things more in depth.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

[ANDY] The battle to maintain some kind of identity and sanity whilst still finding purpose in a world that has lost all sense of life having any kind of meaning other than to simply exist. Dystopia is the anti-utopia. A time that is argueably already upon us. We aim to debate, examine and warn of this theory through fables, tales & metaphors.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dystopian Wrath'?

[ANDY] A fierce reaction to the decline of society.
[DAMON] We didn't have a name for the band at the time when I proposed an idea to write a few songs based on a dystopian future much like in 1984. We were interested in the topic to such a degree that we started introducing more ideas into other songs and eventually decided to use the name Dystopian Wrath, with the "Wrath" prepresenting the intensity of the music and message.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

[DAMON] Non existant thus far! We've struggled to find a drummer until recently but you can expect to see this change by 2015's end

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

[ANDY] Rehearsals with the new full 6 man line-up start in January for a 40 minute set. We have many allies willing to play alongside us within the UKBM scene so we're hoping to get a few shows under our belts, then head off on a UK tour as soon as the opportunity arises.

7.You have a video coming out where you are doing a Bathory cover and have one of the members of Hecate Enthroned as a guest, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

[ANDY] Yeah, it's been 10 years since Quorthon's passing and still far too many young metal fans know of Bathory and their influence. So we decided to do a special tribute, covering a track we all admire aiming to give it a slightly modern twist, whilst retaining the spirit of the original. Andy Milnes was one of the first people to hear our EP as I sent it to him for feedback before the release. He really enjoyed the EP, and Hecate Enthroned are a band I have looked up to for years, so I asked if he would do me the honour of joining us on the track and he was happy to oblige. Tom from Reign Of Perdition is a friend from my area, from an amazing band who toured with Hecate a while ago and Jorge of Scandelion approached me offering to work with us some time ago, and this track presented the perfect opportunity to get to know eachother better.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

[ANDY] Outside of the UK our most enthusiastic responses have come from Southern parts of Asia and America, with some great feedback and reviews also coming back from France, Spain and Belgium. The Uk support for a project that is yet to even take to the stage has been truly humbling.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?

[Damon] I play bass for the death metal band The Florentine Camerata. In October we did a small tour with Ageless Oblivion and Chapters, both of whom are exceptionally good bands. Currently though we're in the process of finalising the songs for our debut album which we should be recording soon.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

[ANDY] So many of these things, like all things in life unfortunately depend on money and hooking up schedules to suit the availability of it. We have enough material for an album ready to go, and as soon as we can, it shall be out. Developing the live set up is our immediate priority.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

[ANDY] More and more nowaday I always try to support our allies and buy British Extreme metal first but I am a fan of all types of Black, Death & Power Metal! Major personal influences include Bathory, Emperor, Hecate Enthroned, Soulfallen, Belphegor, Abgott, Winterfylleth, Bal Sagoth, Vader, Graveworm and Chthonic.
[DAMON] I find that bands like Bathory, Behemoth, Emperor, Dark Funeral and Immortal have influenced me a fair bit but by no means are they the only ones. Recently I've been listening to Summoning and Caladan Brood and I'm kicking myself that I didn't start listening to these bands sooner.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

[ANDY] Non music wise, I'm well into my gaming and few things beat the feel of a clear day on a motorbike.
[DAMON] I'm afraid I don't have too much of an interesting answer for this, gaming and reading. Hand me anything by H.P. Lovecraft and I'll be quite content.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

[DAMON] The EP is exclusively available via UKEM Records for just £5 and keep an eye on us via social media for updates about the upcoming events, video's and releases in 2015.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Necroart are a band from Italy that plays a very avant garde, gothic and progressive form of melodic black/death metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "Lamma Sabactini" which was released by Masterpiece Distribution.

A very dark and epic sound starts off the album along with some spoken word parts and you cna also hear elements of traditional Italian music in the background and a couple of minutes the music gets a lot heavier while also incorporating some avant garde and prog elements into their musical style and they also add in a good amount of grim black metal screams and some of the songs are very long and epic in length.

You can hear a great amount of melody being utilized in the tracks and at time s the vocals also get more melodic while also keeping around a very rough edge while on later tracks they also bring in a few death metal growls and most of the tracks stick to a slow or mid paced musical direction along with all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound.

A good amount of the tracks also bring in a small amount of clean singing gothic metal vocals along with a touch of melodic doom metal while some of the songs also bring in a few seconds of operatic female vocals and as the album progresses acoustic guitars can be heard in certain sections of the recording.

Necroart plays a style of music that brings in the heaviness of melodic death and black metal and they bring in some avant garde, progressive and gothic elements to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover dark, poetic and occult themes.

In my opinion Necroart are a very great sounding avant garde, gothic and progressive mixture of melodic death, black and doom metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Demiurge" "Joining The Maelstrom" "Of Ghouls, Maggots, and Werewolves" and "Cyanide And Mephisto". 8 out of 10.

Mystical Fullmoon are a band from Italy that plays a very avant garde and symphonic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "Chtonian Theogony" which was released by Beyond Productions.

Dark avant garde sounds start off the album along with some spoken word parts that are also used on some of the other tracks as well and after the intro the music goes into more of an orchestrated style of melodic black metal which also brings in fast parts, blast beats and grim screams along with a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

At time s the synths can be very experimental sounding and a good portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length and when solos and leads are added into the music they bring in a very melodic and talented sound to the bands musical style and as the album progresses acoustic guitars are added into certain sections of the recording along with a few songs that are in more of an avant garde and experimental direction along with a few tracks bringing in a small amount of melodic Gregorian chants and saxophones.

Mystical Fullmoon plays a style of black metal that is very symphonic while also being melodic, avant garde and experimental at the same time and you can hear a great amount of talent, skill and originality in their musical sound, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover the writings of H.P Lovecraft, Esoterism, and Dark poetry themes.

In my opinion Mystical Fullmoon are a very great sounding symphonic and avant garde black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "An Outermost Resonance" "A Red And Black Sacrament" "After the Coil" and "Dream brother". 8 out of 10.

Heretical are a band from Italy that plays a very symphonic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "/Daemonarchist - Daemon Est Devs Inversvs" which was released by Beyond Productions.

A very dark and atmospheric keyboard intro starts off the album along with some spoken word ritualistic parts that are also used on some of the other tracks as well and after the intro the music gets a lot heavier along with some brutal blast beats, grim black metal screams and melodic guitar solos along with a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

At time clean singing can be heard in certain sections of t he recording and the band also mixes the symphonic and heavy parts together ans some of the later tracks bring in a small amount of operatic female and male vocals and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and on some of the tracks you can also hear elements of death and thrash metal which the back up gang shots come from being utilized along with a small amount of growling vocals and a couple of the later tracks brings in a small amount of violins and a few of the songs are also long and epic in length.

Heretical plays a style of symphonic black metal that is very ritualistic at times and also brings in elements ob brutal death metal and thrash along with a great amount of melody to create a sound of their own, the production sound s very professional while the lyrics cover Satanism, Luciferian, Left Hand Path and Occultism themes.

In my opinion Heretical are a very great sounding symphonic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Averno Resvurrectus" "Devestate E Liberate" "Lvcifer Demasqve" and "Demon Metal".

Monday, December 22, 2014

Media: A Different Shade Of Black Metal zine, USA
Band: Incursed
Answering: Narot Santos - Main vocals, rhythm guitar
1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Since we finished recording “Elderslied” we’ve started our rehearsals and we’ve been improving our playing costumes for our new 2015 shows. We have also been contacting with bands and management all over Spain and Europe so we can prepare as many shows for this new year as possible.

2.In 2014 you had released both an ep and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound of the newer music and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
We think that our new music has a really professional sound, specially if you compare it with our older albums. The main difference could be the quantity of instruments and audio tracks per song. These new songs are richer and deeper in composition. For example, for Fimbulwinter we had songs composed years before its release and new songs made for the album, so it was kind of chaotic. This new
music is more coherent in this way.

3.Your lyrics cover some Nordic Paganism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
Some of us are quite interested in Paganism and History. It is quite cool to see how some of this Pagan beliefs are mixed with other religious views, or how are they shown in movies, comics, video games and modern stuff. Basically, we were interested in Norse and Germanic mythology way before the band started, more than seven years ago, and we found in music a great way to spread this interest and share it with people worldwide.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Incursed’?

The name was formed after the combination of “Incursion” and “Cursed”, but also is the past tense of “Incursion”, so it’s like some kind of pun too. Beware of the spanish cursed raiders!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Probably, our best show was in Ukraine, at the Carpathian Alliance Fest, in 2013.
What makes it the best is, mainly, the fans there. They were incredible! We have played in some nice shows here in Spain, for example Keltoi Fest in Zaragoza, HOM Fest in Burgos and Arrowsnight Live, in Bilbao. The newer the shows the better they are, mainly because of the experience we’ve been achieving during these years. Our shows are quite powerful, we try to give our best in each one. We dress according to our music, with ragged clothes and fake fur, bones, and any kind of “barbaric” stuff, so we can get in our roles easier onto the stage.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are presenting “Elderslied” in our hometown, Bilbao, on February. We are closing some gigs across Spain to play our new songs, but it can’t be described as a tour for the moment.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are working with some promotion agencies as, for example, Metalmessage, but we are currently unsigned. However, we are open to check any offer that could be received.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of viking, pagan and folk metal?

It has been really positive! People all around the world have bought our albums and we’ve got lots of highly positive reviews for our previous album “Fimbulwinter”.
We’ve received some reviews for “Elderslied”, our new album, and they are really nice too. It is so rewarding to see that people really like something you’ve put so many work, time and effort on it.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Our keyboard player, Jonkol, plays in a death/power metal band named “Orion Child” and our drummer, Asier Amo, has a doom/death metal project named “Hex”

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Well, right now we have to exploit “Elderslied” to the max, as it has just been released. But probably by the end of 2015 we’ll start composing and working again on new songs. We will try to keep the essence of our music intact so we can improve our music without changing our spirit.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We have been influenced by many of the latest albums of big bands playing our musical style, such as Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Turisas... but our influences are so, so different and multiple! We like bands as different as The Algorithm or Mike Oldfield.
Try to imagine the huge amount of influences that can be found in this spectrum of musical styles. We even love the new japanese sensation, Babymetal!
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

All of us are into videogames. Asier and Jonkol are big fans of soccer. Juan, our bass player, is a digital painter. We like watching series as Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. Asier Amo is a big fan of trekking and medieval fighting shows and Narot likes to read sci-fi books, specially Asimov. I guess we are just normal guys after all!

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We want to thank you for this great interview and tell all our fans to follow us on our facebook account (facebook.com/IncursedOfficial) and to not hesitate and tell us what do they think about our music, shows, etc. And we hope to play in the States someday, that would be super cool!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Q. For those that never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

A. It all first started when Shahyd and Iku started jamming in the studio and on one of those jamming sessions we found ourselves playing something unique, sounding really different than the projects that we work on. We decided to record the materials, that was then the journey with Mystic Wonders began. We take Mystic Wonders as a Melodic Death Metal band. Yet, experimenting with a lot of other genres such as black metal, progressive, technical and such, infusing them in our own way. From the feedback of the audience, Mystic Wonders is hard to classify as to which genre the band truly is. Just as how our name implied, it was our motive. We don't want to stay in one specific genre. We implement different elements but still maintain our melodic vibe in it.

Q. Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented in the recording?

A. It's aggressive yet has the kind of melodies that will carve into your mind and stay there for a long time. Each songs of this 9 track album entitled 'Prophecy of The Chosen' will be unique and has many variations to feast on for the progressive fans. Also theres power implemented in some tracks and others feels like it came out of a black metal album. In short, every song is a theatrical play with a different story behind it.

Q. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

A. The lyrics are laid in a fantasy-like theme, but it can be related to anyone or everyone in general. Most are based on violence, corruption, a few about politics and real life situations that society needs to be aware of or to think about. To add a bit of flavor, we added a bit of human suffering to the lyrics as well and bringing it on like a story.

Q. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mystic Wonders'?

A. Unexplainable, or mysterious wonders. Those term describes best on our compositions and decided to use that name for the band. Shahyd actually has a song composed named 'Mystic Wonders' among a lot of other unused tracks which was planned and composed for the Sacred Legacy's album 'The Legacy Begins' which was later put back on the shelf with several others before the release of that album. One time, we're going through the tracks we previously recorded and found the track Mystic Wonders and found the name quite perfect for our band and thats when we decided on using that name.

Q. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

A. Iku and Shahyd played a lot of shows with their other projects, especially in Sacred Legacy. Since Mystic Wonders is a recent project, there aren't much shows played but we do plan on playing a lot of gigs soon. The first show we gave with the Mystic Wonders line-up was in 11th of November this year in Maldives. It was really fun. We enjoyed it to the last moment. Our performance has a good vibe with an aggressive sound, very exciting for both the audience and us. We had great feedbacks on our performance.

Q. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

A. We have plans for next year to tour. Definitely an european or asian tour will happen along with a new concept album in early 2015. We will also be playing in some big festivals in Asia, we're already confirmed for Maelstrom Festival 2015 in Sri Lanka.

Q. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

A. It's very hard to get major labels in Asia, it takes a great lot of effort. We aren't approaching any labels as of the moment but we're interested. We get some offers but we also have to give attention for both sides of the party as to be sure its a label that we can comfortably work with and understanding without compromise, be it a major or an indie label. And we can guarantee we can give a sound that can satisfy the ones that we're dealing with.

Q. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of the melodic death and black metal genres?

A. Its been a couple of days since we released our debut album 'Prophecy of The Chosen' and we already got a large audience of both Death and Black Metallers. And surprisingly, we even get positive feedback from ones that goes with Blackened Death Metal audience. Also, this recent week we're approached by several agencies and a few of our songs are played in Radio Channels. We have been getting lots positive comments about Mystic Wonders and the album in social networks. We haven't even started with the paid promotions or with a PR agent, but we are happy with the results we got so far.

Q. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

A. Shahyd is working with his solo project. He is releasing his 3rd solo album soon entitled 'Through The Ashes' and also working on the new album for Sacred Legacy 'Generation of Chaos'
Iku will be releasing his solo album as well on early 2015 entitled 'Prismatic'.He works with Shahyd in Sacred Legacy too and several other bands such as Ovnivium (A Symphonic Black Metal band lead by the front man of Sacred Legacy Lord Hoochy Pharmacist) Disruptia (Progressive Death Metal) Unholy Rising (an old school Black Metal band) and several others including the works from commercial scene in Maldives.
Kattaray has been giving out bass lessons on his youtube channel. Also, covers various songs.
Mukay has been in the commercial scene for sometime now and is now well known.

Q. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

A. We'll be going to places. One thing for sure is we'll frequently release albums. We think our future as a band is very solid and we don't think our journey together will be a short one. In our perspective, there is no end looking at the horizon, just that the beyond lies newer paths and a bigger picture to look at.

Q. What are some of the bands or musical styles that had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

A. Shahyd has a large influence for solo artists and gets inspiration from artists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Micheal Angelo Batio, Andy James and such. Iku's inspiration comes from Devil Doll, Belphegor and gets the influence from such Bands/Artists.
Kattaray too is influenced by great artists like Cliff Burton, Steve Harris, Billy Sheehan and those Lords and great Legends (new and old) Bassists.
Mukay lives out in the world of old school Thrash Metal. Still, some of his favorites are Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer, Lamb of God, Testament and them giants of Thrash Metal
Modey takes his influences in a different angle from the rest of us. Power Metal, Folk Metal, Gothic Metal are some of the genres that inspires him like Dragonforce, Iced Earth, Dio, Ensiferum, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden.

Q. How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Maldives?

A. Its depressing actually. The metal scene here is going through a huge downfall. Due to this, several bands are disbanding. We remember the glorious days the Maldivian Metal Scene had back then. With a lot of bands, countless followers of metal, Shows frequently happening and If a Metal Album is released, its news will be every where in the local media. And back then, bands get a lot of opportunities to play shows and funds. There used to be a lot of sub-genres of metal bands in Maldives, and its sad to see them disbanding. At present, there are avenues that metal is used to play but not allowed anymore. Its also very hard to get sponsors or funds for the bands as well. And there are hardly any practice rooms or recording studios left in Maldives. Due to all this, very few bands survives, while others looks for other alternatives to continue their music career such as involving into commercial industry. Honestly, we don't see much help or contributions by the Entertainment Industry in Maldives that would make a positive impact to the scene here. Even in the midst of this, there's still a large fan base here that still doesn't give up. We won't be giving up either. We'll contribute however we can and help to get back the glorious days of the Maldivian Metal Scene.

Q. What are some of your non musical interests?

A. Gaming!!! Especially mmorpgs like ArcheAge, DragonNest, Eden Eternal, Onigiri. And we love anime and manga. Anime plays a role in our musical aspects as well. In our song structures and melodies. Coffee is all our favorites and very important in our lives... and IKU LOVES CHEESECAKES! we always gather in the same coffee shop and catch up on stuffs. Not to mention the rides in Kattaray's car (sometimes we find Kattaray headbanging playing loud music in the car while driving) haha.
Mukay is a fitness freak! He goes to gym on a daily basis. And we have a hunch he's going to be a gym instructor soon. Movies is also one of our major interests.

Q. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

A. We'd like to thank our families, friends and fans. They're the reason that kept us going and the start of our journey of Mystic Wonders. We have a lot of plans ahead, we will be revealing the title of our 2nd album very soon. And a shout out to Hoochy, Arkane, Ibbe, Shaulaan, Avas.Mv, Sharippe, Musthain, Vitte, Emp, Dani, Abo, Rasha, Munthi, Wisham, Marsh, Nasih, Altho, Keshan and AWN crew, Chippe, Andu, Dante, Music World, Wadde brothers, Jessy, Bloody Ayya, Usham, Tom, Irey, Meksie, Hoosh, Husy, Milo, Azmeen, Humaidh, Thithi, Legacy Studios crew!! And Thank you for this interview, we really enjoyed it! \m/

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

This is another review of a recording from Incursed that continues the pagan/folk metal sound of previous recordings with the album being self released in 2014 and called "Elderslied".

Dark sound effects start off the album giving the music and atmospheric and ambient feeling along with some nature sounds in the background and the synths also bring in an epic feeling that you would hear in a fantasy movie and after the intro the music starts going for more of a heavy and melodic blackened death metal sound.

There is a decent amount of blast beats present throughout the recording along with some blackened metal screams and growls as well as a great amount of melodic guitar solos and leads and the songs also mix the folk and symphonic elements in with the heavier sections along with a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

Melodic viking metal vocals can be heard in certain sections of the recording along with a small amount of spoken word parts and there are also a great amount of acoustic guitars added into some of the songs and they add in more folk influences to the recording along with a touch of 70's progressive rock and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them long with a few tracks that are very long and epic in length and towards the end a brief use of female vocals are added into the music.

Incursed creates a very epic sounding folk/viking metal album with this recording which they also mix in with the heaviness of melodic blackened death metal to create some truly pagan metal, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover Norse paganism, Fantasy, Battles, War and Nature themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Incursed and if you are a fan of both viking and folk metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Heart of Yggdrasil" "Raging Wyverns" "Lady Frost" and "One Among A Million". 8/5 out of 10.

Incursed are a band from Spain that plays a pagan form of viking/folk metal and this is a review of their self released 2014 ep "Beer Bloodbath".

Melodic guitar solos and leads start off the ep along with a symphonic background and a few seconds alter grim black metal screams are added into the music and the leads also remain a huge part of all of the tracks and you can also hear some folk instruments in the music at times and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

At times clean singing and spoken word parts can be heard in certain sections of the recording and there is a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts present throughout the recording along with a small amount of blast beats and when acoustic guitars are utilized they bring in more of a medieval pagan feeling to the bands musical style and at times both the synths and solos bring a progressive feeling to the songs.

Incursed plays a style of pagan/viking metal that also incorporates a great amount of folk music elements along with s heavy influence from melodic blackened death metal and a touch of progressive rock to create a sound of their own, the production has a very professional sound for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover beer drinking. paganism, battle, war and nature themes.

In my opinion Incursed are a very great sounding pagan/folk metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Beer Bloodbath" and "Die By The Sword". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Solarsteinn are a 1 man band from Italy that plays a mixture of viking, pagan, melodic black and folk metal and this is a review of his self released 2014 ep "The Challenge Of Thor".

Thunder sounds and viking warships start off the ep along with some dark sounding synths which leads up to acoustic guitars and flutes that add in a medieval folk music feeling to the 18 minute track which can also be very epic at times and after awhile heavy and melodic guitars are added into the song taking the recording into a pagan metal direction.

When vocals are added into the music they are growls and screams that are more in tune with both black and death metal and you can also hear a great amount of melodic guitar solos and leads in the track and in certain sections of the track you can also hear melodic viking chants and the synths also make their return at times giving the music a symphonic feeling and closer to the end the song speeds up a bit and brings in a small amount of blast beats.

Solarsteinn creates an 18 minute track that brings in a melodic black/death metal sound and mixes it in with pagan, viking and folk metal to create an epic song, the production has a very professional sound for being a self released recording while the lyrics are based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Norse ballads.

In my opinion Solarsteinn are a very great sounding mixture of viking, pagan, melodic black and folk metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this solo project. 8 out of 10.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Mystic Wonders are a band from Maldives that plays a very melodic form of blackened death metal and this is a review of their self released 2014 album "Prophecy of the Chosen".

A very melodic and technical sounding guitar solos starts off the album and they are also a huge part of all of the tracks and some of the riffs also bring in a traditional metal feeling at times and on the second track the music starts going for more of a melodic black/death metal sound along with a good mixture of growls and screams.

You can hear a heavy thrash influence in the bands musical sound at times along with a good balance between slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses clean singing power metal style vocals can be heard in certain sections of the recording while some of the later tracks add in a decent amount of blast beats which also bring in a touch of brutal death metal to the bands musical sound along with all of the musical instruments sounding very powerful and the band also adds in elements of neo-classical in the leads and solos at times.

Mystic Wonders plays a very modern style of melodic death metal that is heavily mixed in with black metal, neo-classical and a touch of thrash to create an album that brings in the perfect balance between melody and heaviness, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover dark and realistic themes with a touch of fantasy.

In my opinion Mystic Wonders are a very great sounding blackened death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Maiden's tear" "Purgatory" "Utopia" and "Prophecy". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Dystopian Wrath are a band from the united Kingdom that plays a symphonic form of black/death metal and this is a review of their self titled 2014 ep which was released by UKEM Records.

A very epic and symphonic sound starts off the ep before going into a faster direction along with some grim screams and brutal blast beats which they also mix in with the symphonic elements as well as adding in death metal growls at times and after awhile the music starts incorporating more melodies into the songs which also bring in a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts..

As the ep progresses you can hear more traces of thrash and death metal being added into the bands symphonic black metal sound and it also gives the music more of an aggressive sound than most bands of this genre and when solos and leads are added into the music they are very melodic sounding as well as demonstrating a great amount of skill and talent and one of the tracks also brings in a brief use of spoken word samples while one of the alter tracks brings in a small amount of acoustic guitars and the band also closes the ep with a cover of bathory's "Woman Of Dark Desires".

Dystopian Wrath take a very symphonic and melodic style of black metal and mixes it with the aggression of death metal which also makes there music more heavy than most symphonic black metal bands, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Dystopian Area Philosophy and Psychology.

In my opinion Dystopian Wrath are a very great sounding symphonic black/death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Suffering State" and "Black Sea of Tree's". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well,its all started by the end 2012 i started looking for musicians for my new band, been working on some material for a while, and was ready to get in in rehearsal room
It was not easy to get musicians for such stuff, i had two self made demos with a drummer, a close friend of mine helped me with that, anyway summer 2013 i met Alexandra and Mike, so we gathered to make it all happen, after a while we got 5 tracks to be recorded, and we started to look for a studio, this is how Azathoth Circle started

2.So far you have released 2 ep's, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
The first EP was just a first our try to look on what we have done working together, mixing ideas, riffs, vocals, arrangements and perfect drumming by a friend of ours Erland
it was representing our mood at that time, passion and sadness in one work, second one is more powerfull work, we been on our way of mixing what we all love, from alternative metal, black metal, stoner, progressive, doom, and the mix of all of it, you can hear on both EPs we all listen to different music, but we gathered just to get it together in a mix of what you hear

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
its all matter of our lives, fights with ourselves, what we feel, what`s our fears, what it covers in us

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Azathoth Circle'?
Life Circles, your dark sides, your bright sides, you can be the god of your dark side, or bright, you choose, it`s your circle, its a matter of what your are going to join
Are you in a Circle?)

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We made our first two shows alredy, both in local clubs, biggest and most influential stages in our city, we all been playing before in different bands and have a great experience of being on stage, but for the firs time Azathoth Circle appears as one part, as a band itself, nice performances, nice audience, we know what to do, how to make stage performances even better

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
As any band we are willing to make awesome tours, big shows, getting more and more recognizable

7.Does Occultism play any role in the music?
not any, we are dark persons, but not as much )

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?

we started promoting ourselves on biggest musical social networks (reverbnation,bandcamp, lastfm....) the feedback on our first EP was fantastic, so its a great start for a local
band to get a wordwide respect, by working hard on songs and live performances

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We want to record our 3d EP and make it also digital, maybe limited edition CD, album? well there are no reasons to make an albums our days for no major label bands i guess
itunes, amazon, shows how ep`s , singles are sells, so, album, we will do it, after third EP i guess it will be the right time to make it

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
we all listening to different stuff, wide range of musical styles and bands that`s why are not sure, what exactly we are playing ))))

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
we all open minded and looking for some cool stuff, for something new, something interesting )) watching discovery channel (lol)

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for you time, for checking our stuff, give it a like on facebook, oh yes, we have a facebook page, you can find latest news there, also don`t forget to share
and support local scene, all bands needs your support, cheers !!

Monday, December 1, 2014

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Mr.Styx: Bloody Terror is an international black/death metal band created in late 2010. The very first record was the cover of Kalmah's song named “Dance Of The Water”.
After this we started to compose the material for debut album. At the same time Dr.Trajan has joined the band as a bass player. During the 18 months the first album was in process.
Debut full-length album "Shadow Of Death" out 15/09/2012 on a various labels.
In early 2013 Dr.Trajan was replaced by Brutal Baphomet on bass/back vocals. With a new line-up we started to compose the very new material for the sophomore album that was finished in august 2014.
Fall of 2014 we signed a contract with Metal Scrap Records. Our second full-length album, "Diaboli Celeritate", was released on November 14, 2014 as a digital edition. On CD album planned to release in 2015.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

PS: When we record our first album mainly I wrote all the lyrics.
Some of them were like joke, some of them sarcastic. But when Brutal Baphomet joined the band he brought dark atmosphere to our band from his occult ideas for lyrics and we have left from humorous lyrics to more serious occult topics.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bloody Terror?

PS: Back in 2011 when we`ve started to record our debut album we simply searched for the name that has not yet been used by other bands but represents our style and atmosphere. Mr Styx suggest Bloody Terror, and it was exactly what we needed!

5.The band members are both from Ukraine and Russia, how does this work in the recording process?

MS: We collaborate through Internet - recording all stuff in our studios and sending it to each other.

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this studio project?

MS: We`re apart by the thousands of kilometers, perhaps, we`d like to perform a live but still we don`t have such chance yet. That`s the reason why this is a studio project for now.

PS: We have proposals from few festivals to play live. It's possible and very interesting, but we need time & money to meet each other while, as we are now busy with our main bands. Only time will tell .. ;)

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black an death metal?

MS: Quite positive. The second album attracted great interest among the metalheads than debut record.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects that some of the other band members are involved with?

MS: I have my own solo project named Metal Styx, symphonic folk metal. At late spring of 2014 the EP "Curuvar Firtalion" was out. Also Brutal Baphomet has his own band Evilgod,in whin I`m a bass-player.About a 2 months ago we had our the very first live. Perhaps, we`ll start to make the third album soon.

PS: I'm a guitarist of Ukrainian metal band Majesty Of Revival. Sometimes I playing with other bands as a session guitarist/drummer. Also I released few solo-albums under the name "PowerSquad".

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

PS: We have a lot ideas for future records but now we cant say more about this, because our second album was out only few weeks ago as a digital edition, and planned to release on CD in early 2015. Also we hope that someday we will toured with this band.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Hegemone are a band from Poland that plays a mixture of black metal, post rock and sludge and this is a review of their self released 2014 album "Luminosity".

Distorted sounding experimental music sounds start off the album and after a minute the music goes into more of a heavy sludge metal direction along with some aggressive vocals that also bring in black metal screams at times and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Most of the tracks a re very long and epic in length and the music also brings in a great amount of post metal style melodies and there are also some saxophones on some of the tracks that also gives the music more of an avant garde feeling while some of the other songs are heavily influenced by shoegaze.

As the album progresses the music speeds up a bit in certain sections of the recording and adds in blast beats and tremolo picking which also displays more of the bands black metal side and they also add in melodic leads and solos at times and on some of the later tracks more clean playing is added into the music and they bring a progressive feeling to the album along with some clean singing vocals that bring in a psychedelic feeling when t hey are utilized.

Hegemone plays a very original style of music that combines the more melodic side of black metal with the heaviness of sludge and a good amount of progressive, post rock and shoegaze elements to create some very interesting sounding music, the production sounds very dark and heavy while the lyrics cove r dark, melancholic and philosophical themes.

In my opinion Hegemone are a very great sounding mixture of black metal, post rock and sludge and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Hunt Within" and "Nightingale". 8 out of 10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hi, and thank you very much for this interview!
We are a progressive death metal band strongly influenced by bands as Opeth, Ihsahn, Enslaved. Founded in Toulouse at the beginning of 2012 by the Composer-Singer-Guitar player Fred Blanchard. A few months later, our first EP “Architecture of plague” came out, we played some gigs in the southwest of France while working on our first album.

2.Recently you have released your first full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2012?
To us, this album is following the same line as our first EP recorded in 2012, even if songs are different, they are less experimental more intelligible for the audience. About the sound now, we have maintained a natural and human touch, but in a professional studio this time. We are all very satisfied of this!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics tell to the listener some mysterious and unnatural stories… even for us! ^^
Stories to be more specific could be considered like “Thrillers”, in wich victims and guilty are present. For example, the first four tracks in the album tell about two young boys who kill their mother because they are driven by a kind of supernatural ghost entity … but I’m not going to spoil anything, I prefer to let the curious read the booklet!

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Havenless'?
As I said previously, in our stories, victims are present and their aggressors always achieve their goal . So these victims are helpless against this fantastic strength, without refuge… Havenless.
This is also a music title from a band I particularly appreciate: Enslaved

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our best souvenir: I would like first to mention a live in Albi to celebrate 10 years of “Une nuit en enfer” with Necrocult, Trashnasty and Oldskull , the ambiance was perfect! The show in Montpellier with “Negura Bunget” and finally our live in Montblanc, at the “Garrigue fest” with our friends “Orob”!
I think we have been improving and we can’t wait to play our full album on stage next year!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are now in the progress of organizing a tour in the north of France with “Orob” for February 2015. We will also participate in a maximum of concerts and competitions to promote best as possible our first new album!

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?
People liked our first EP, but we haven't really been able to export our music a lot ... that’s why we signed with the international label “Wormehole death”. Famous French webzines and magazines have supported us (such as Rock Hard, Metallian) but each reviews always ended with sentences like: “so excited to hear a complete album”!

8.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Other projects of members in the band are not very active at the moment, exception for projects of our new bass player “Christine Lanusse” (Qantice, Hretghir, Brain Collapse)
Ben, our guitar player, plays with his cover band 70’s “Devik” on a regular basis & Fred (singer guitarist) project, Osuaire (old school death metal) is currently preparing an album.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’ll just let the music evolve in our future songs certainly with more clean vocals. As it starts with our new songs of the future second album, the atmosphere is in the way to be more 70’s while remaining melodic death metal! And we are working to have our sound evolving also.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The main musical genres, which our composer is inspired by are Swedish metal, progressive rock, Doom/death metal, heavy metal of course and nice bands of non-traditional black metal.
To cite some band names : Opeth, Ihsahn, Katatonia, Hypocrisy, Emperor, Enslaved, Bathory, Ereb Altor, Isole (best doom/death band ever!), Porcupine tree, Steven Wilson project, etc… they are to many.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We don’t have a lot of non-musical interest…Just our drummer “Romain” wich is a Geek! Chris also likes photography.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We wish to thank you once again for your interest in our band and interest for our first album! I have no doubt that progressive melodic metal lovers will like it !
Rock’on !

Monday, November 24, 2014

Bloody Terror are an international band with members from both Ukraine and Russia that plays a melodic mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "Diaboli Cereritate" which was released by Metal Scrap Records.

Acoustic guitars that have an ethnic feeling to them start off the album along with some heavy riffing and an atmospheric sound in the background which also brings symphonic elements to the bands musical style and when solos and leads are added into the music they bring in even more of a melodic edge to the recording and there is also a good amount of melody in the riffing as well.

Vocals mix high pitched black metal screams and deep death metal growls together and they also bring in a brief use of spoken word parts and whispers at times along with all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound to them and on some of the tracks melodic clean singing can be heard at times and they bring in a more operatic atmosphere to the symphonic elements of the bands musical style.

Throughout the recording you can hear a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with blast beats being added into certain sections of the recording and they also bring in operatic female vocals at times and as the album progresses you can hear a small amount of progressive rock elements and folk metal being added into the synths.

Bloody Terror takes a 90's style of symphonic black metal and mixes it with the more modern melodic death metal sound to update this genre for the modern day, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover darkness and occult themes.

In my opinion Bloody Terror are a very great sounding melodic and symphonic mixture of black and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Devil's Speed" "Magic Of the Moon" and "Eternal-Life Vampirism". 8 out of 10.

Azathoth Circle are a band from Ukraine that plays a very dark and progressive form of post metal that also brings in elements of black metal, stoner, and doom and this is a review of their 2014 ep "The Replacement" which was released by Metal Scrap Records.

Clan playing and acoustic guitars starts off the ep giving the music more of a progressive and post rock edge along with some melodic clean singing female vocals a few seconds later and after a couple of minutes the music goes into more of a heavy prog metal direction along with a good mixture of black metal screams and death metal growls.

When solos and leads are added into the music they give the ep even more of a dark and melancholic edge and the drums also bring in a few seconds of blast beats and the songs also have more of a modern metal edge to them and on the second track you can hear more gothic, doom metal and Opeth influences being added into the bands musical style along with a touch of mainstream rock/metal and on the last track the music starts bringing in more of a stoner metal vibe.

Azathoth Circle brings in a variety of many different style ranging from progressive and post metal and adding it in with the heaviness of stoner, doom and black metal along with a touch of mainstream rock to create their own style of dark metal, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover dark and occult themes.

In my opinion Azathoth Circle are a very great sounding mixture of progressive, post and dark metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Attack Over Again". 8 out of 10.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Thorr-Axe are a band from Indiana that plays a blackened form of stoner/doom metal and this is a review of their self released 2014 album "Gates Of Winter".

Winter sounds start off the album and a few seconds later the music starts to get more heavy and you can hear traces of black metal before going into more of a doom metal direction while they also keep around the blackened parts and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and a couple of the tracks are long and epic in length.

After the first track the music starts to add in more stoner metal influences along with some aggressive screaming vocals and after awhile element s of punk and hardcore can be heard in some of the tracks along with a small amount of death metal growls and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

At times you can hear a great amount of sludge in the bands musical style and most of the tracks stick to more of a slow or mid paced direction and one of the alter tracks also brings in a brief use of melodic guitar solos and leads which also leads up to the music speeding up a bit and bringing in a few seconds of blast beats on a few songs with the second one also adding in more black metal elements and on of the later tracks also bring s in a small amount of spoken word samples and psychedelic sounds.

Thorr-Axe plays a very heavy form of stoner/doom metal that also bring s in a heavy amount of sludge and black metal influences to create the sound that is presented on the recording, the production sound s very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover Norse Paganism and Fantasy themes.

In my opinion Thorr-Axe are a very great sounding blackened stoner/doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album> RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Seer's Vision" "The Forging Ritual" and "Awakening". 8 out of 10.

3.This musical project has been around since 2001 but so far this is the first release, can you tell us a little bit more about the delay?

I started writing in 2001, and finished in 2012. Though some of the parts I even wrote in 2000, I had used them to do a concept study in rhythmic ideas tied to tonality that evolved, or echoed with slight changes introduced to repeated elements over time, rather than mindless repeating of parts verbatim for the entire piece. That study that I did on 2001 ended up being the proof of concept for the entire album, which is the final section of “The Malevolence of Existence's Continuation”. I had to insert some parts that mindlessly repeated verbatim though because constantly evolving parts with no opposite can create it’s own type of monotony as well. But in estimating / tallying up the actual time spent working on writing the album, if I omit all the time spent not working on the parts that went into the album (time spent writing other stuff that did not make it on the album, writing other music as an exercise or concept studies, time spent studying classical theory amongst whatever other random things life throws one's way), the writing would have consisted of about a years worth of weekends and evenings, it was just spread out over almost the entire time-frame. Although, it took me a lot longer to write parts at first, than it does now. Recording didn't take forever once I was done writing. Then I spent literally a year re-mixing it with mostly decade's old software and hardware. Most of the time was spent waiting for the geezerly Dell I have to process audio, usually around 10 – 20 minutes per track, multiple times for each song. I had like 20 – 30 mix downs to go through for each song because loading everything up all at once would freeze the software for sure, and occasionally crash the computer and forever corrupt audio files.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?

“To Unequal the Balance of the Cosmos” is about origins and evolution of life, and that life taking hold of the physics of it's own basis, and a cataclysm that follows when life manipulates it's basis.

“The figment Unadulated” is about the nonexistence, arbitraryness and invented bullshittery of things that exist only in the minds of people; religions, cultures, and really any group of people where the name of that group somehow lasts longer than the people that adopt those made up ways.

“Within The Glory of Other Lights” is about humanity and life in general's need to colonize areas away from Earth, as Earth will be consumed by the Sun eventually when it expands to be a red giant (it's circumference has been estimated by people a lot smarter than me to come to rest roughly along Earth's orbit in around 2 billion years or so, though in around 1 billion years, the increase [occurring right now] in the Sun's luminosity will heat Earth up to the point of being unfit for life). Mars is referred to in the lyrics, however the title suggests other stars besides the one that annoys us in the morning are a worthy goal as well.

“To Nothing” is about a life form that fails to overcome it's subordinance to existence, and then dissolves to existence itself, to molten rock, or vapor perhaps. It however maintains a chance at future evolution to self awareness again, as is true of any of the ingredients for life that may be wandering through the universe right now.

“Within the Void” is about the nonexistent dichotomy purveyed (to annoy people with any sense) by the fake fucks that inhabit Earth, those who pretend that ideas (actually, I'm just talking about traditions, cultural groups and religions) are somehow reality itself, and who purvey that anything observable, testable and otherwise physically real is somehow not real or not useful. So, it's about a habit of travesty that humanity perpetuates upon itself; a fleshy self destruct button.

The Malevolence of Existence's Continuation is about the transience of life, and it's subordinance to Earth.

The way the lyrics are written though, those meanings are hard to glean.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Unfathomed Of Abyss'?

It's a sort of slight of hand way of saying “life”. At least, I wouldn't expect much of it to exist in a universe that largely consists of a relative majority of emptiness.

6.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with a full time band, or do you prefer to work solo?

I couldn't have written this as a collaboration with a band. Nor could I have learned to write this type of stuff if I was spending a lot of free-time practicing playing parts. I did work with two other people on this, and could not have finished it without their help. Kevin Talley did the drums, and Tom Kvålsvoll did the Mastering.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

There hasn't been any label interest. I may be wrong, but I assume there has to be some sort of touring capability to entice a lot of labels. These days they seem to serve more of a promotional function (it's very easy to self release digitally and physically) as far as I can tell, and opening for some band with a big following that also kicks ass in a live performance is likely a better form of promotion than putting those same band's name in a “sounds similar to...” section of a website. But I'm on the fence about labels anyway.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of symphonic black metal?

Pretty good actually. It varies wildly though. I have received feedback indicating that the music is just right to people's tastes, and even that it is the type of thing some people look for. I have gotten feedback that indicates some people really expect a more linear and “repeated verbatim” based approach to something labeled with the word “symphonic”, I guess the same people might be seeing the “black metal” in the descriptions I use, and ignoring the “symphonic” part. I use those terms merely because they are the closest descriptive terms that people use to search for any music online. I do not believe that somehow, magically or as in some other type of woo woo type way that my music itself inhabits some mystical state of being by being called this or that. So, it is not this, that, or some other thing. It is what it is. I would call it “fluffy cupcakes” if search terms could be replaced by sounds playing in a person's brain. It would be a lot easier if Amazon could hear those sounds when I search for music to buy, otherwise I have to figure out how people are describing music, which can be bullshit.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I'll be writing more brutally and varied, and more symphonically. There is some new material already written. I'm also interested in getting rid of the use of synthesized sounds as much as possible. So I've got a violin being shipped to me from halfway around the globe as I type this. It's not a far stretch, from guitar to violin. Assuming I can get to the point of being able to record what I write with it, then I'll have to find a viola, cello and double bass as well. All the synth parts were actually written with the real instruments in mind anyway.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, old Metallica, Slayer, Mayhem, Arcturus, Emperor, Stravinskiy's The Rite of Spring, almost anything by Alan Hovhaness, Iannis Xenakis, and Vangelis. those are the best examples I can think of now. I prefer modern orchestral styles to classical / boroque, romantic etc eras, dissonant metal, or metal that uses multiple types of scales rather than music that solely relies on the typical overused, ripped of to the point of annoyance western scale. Nowadays I flip constantly between the nu-metal, hard rock, 90's hard / grunge rock, alternative and classical (not the opera one) channels on SiriusXm.

Friday, November 21, 2014

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
(Edu) Yes, we’ve started early this year our tour promoting the new release and so far we’ve reached Europe and South America. This year we’ll do 100 gigs and our plan is to continue touring in support of our new album until late next year. Also, we’ve released a new music video and we’re featured in two tribute CDs, one from HEADHUNTER DC and the other from STOMACHAL CORROSION.

2.You have a new album coming out in December, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
(Edu) In Brazil the album was released in April but in the US and Europe it will be out in December. I believe it’s our best release up to date. The new album is an natural evolution of our music and now that we have a solid line-up for a couple of years (which is awesome) we’re very tight and also mature as a band and as musicians. It’s the most diverse album we’ve released and we could explore different music styles ranging from traditional Death Metal to Thrash Metal, Black Metal and even some Doom Metal and Hard Core elements. Also, it’s the first time we had a producer working with us on the whole process. We’re very pleased with the new album and the response we’re getting is extremely positive.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
(Edu) We’ve always been a satanic/occult band but we do explore other topics as well. On the new album you can still find some satanic/anti-christian/occult themes but also topics about the harsh reality of our daily lives.

4.The band has been around for almost 20 years, what is it that keeps you motivated to create extreme metal after all of these years?
(Edu) I think when you do it for passion and not fashion it will last forever. We love what we do and we’re an underground band, so success for us is being active, touring and releasing albums. I think whatever you do in life, if you love it, if you have the passion it will last forever and there’s always motivation to continue with what you do.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'NervoChaos'?
(Edu) When we started the band we wanted a name that could be easily understood in English and Portuguese. Also, we wanted a name that was different from all the other bands that were around back then and a name that mixed both languages, Portuguese and English. The name also represents very well our music, our proposal and the city where we live in.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
(Edu) It’s hard to choose just one or two shows once we’ve been touring since the band started. We believe that a true band is a band that’s not afraid of touring or performing live, so we think our highlight are our live performances. Our stage performance has to sound better than our albums and I think we have an intense, in your face stage performance. We did several memorable gigs and we had the opportunity to share the stage with great acts.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
(Edu) We had our first US tour booked for this year but due to the visas we couldn’t fulfill it. It has been re-scheduled for March 2015 and we hope we can get our visas this time to tour the US for the first time in our career. We did 100 gigs this year in support of the new album and we’ll continue touring until the end of 2015.

8.Over the years how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
(Edu) The more we tour, the more often we release material, the better is the feedback. Also, our fan base is growing worldwide and the sales are growing as well. I think that’s the best response we could have from it.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
(Edu) I hope our line-up keeps steady so we can continue with our musical evolution. We only do what we like as a band and we’re always trying to evolve but keeping true to our proposal. Our idea is to continue touring and releasing albums frequently. Every new album we release we always try to beat our previous release. We’ll continue doing extreme music without being attached to this or that music label.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
(Edu) We have a lot of different influences in our music, it ranges from Black Sabbath to Napalm Death or from Judas Priest to Cannibal Corpse. I could mention acts such as D.R.I., The Accused, R.D.P., old Sepultura, Death, Obituary, Benediction, Dismember, Incantation and many more to list. I still listen to the ‘classic’ albums from bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Sarcofago, Mercyful Fate, Dissection, Possessed, Dark Angel, Sadus and etc.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
(Edu) I’m into the Left-hand Path, Chaosophy, Chaos-Gnostic Satanism and The Cult of Death. All this is highly mixture with the Brazilian culture (since the Guarani and Tupi Indians) and with the afro-brazilian religion such as Quimbanda and Macumba. Occultism is the knowledge of the paranormal and it’s not for everybody, it must be kept hidden.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
(Edu) I love history in general, but mainly old civilizations and wars. I’m a big movie fan, I’m also deep into video games, books and weed smoking. I love traveling around and also spending time with my son.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
(Edu) Thanks a lot for such an interesting interview and I hope we can tour the US soon. Keep up the good work and stay fuckin METAL! Visitwww.nervochaos.com.br and we you all on the road!
www.greyhazerecords.com